Page:China- Its State and Prospects.djvu/48

26 necessary articles cheaper and better than they can supply themselves, the trade must extend, and our manufactures gain admission.

But the Christian philanthropist is still more interested in this important question. When each individual possesses a never dying spirit, and each sinner is exposed to endless wrath, the greater the number of persons involved in the calamity, the more serious the evil; and the more must the contemplation of it oppress the mind of the thoughtful Christian. As this view of the subject, however, will be more fully enlarged upon in the sequel, it will be sufficient now, to discuss the question of China's population; and endeavour to ascertain the real state of the case, leaving the deduction of inferences to the close.

To clear the way to this important subject, it will be necessary, first, to show the possibility and probability of China's containing the assumed population; and then, the reality of its existence.

That it is a possible case that China contains as many inhabitants as even the largest census would give, few who have paid any attention to the subject will be disposed to deny. Though there have not been wanting those who strenuously affirm that the soil is incapable of sustaining so vast a population; yet, by a comparison of that land with others, calculating the number of occupants and the area of their territory, we find that such a priori reasonings are not founded in fact, nor entitled to our regard. China Proper is said to contain 1,297,999 square miles, or 830,719,300 English acres of ground. If then we allow only one-half of the land to be capable of cultivation, (though some would allow two-thirds,) and each acre of